National Child Day is celebrated on November 20th each year. The date marks the occasion when Canada adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which spells out basic human rights for children and youth.
The rights of children and youth to protection from all forms of child abuse, neglect, exploitation and cruelty are outlined in the Convention. National Child Day serves as an important reminder that children have a right to be safe and that they count on all of us to do our part to protect them from abuse or neglect. To learn more about recognizing the signs of child abuse and neglect visit www.useyourvoice.ca.
In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special Convention as they are often more vulnerable than adults. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights. The document spells out basic human rights that children everywhere can expect: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.
The Convention protects children's rights by setting standards in health care, education and legal, civil and social services. By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the Convention, national governments have committed themselves to protecting and ensuring children's rights and they have agreed to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community.